Wall construction.



G. P. WHITE.

WALL CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.29,1906.

Patented June 29, 1909.

A TTORNE YS GEORGE PATGHETT WHITE, OF WALLACE, IDAHO.

HALL CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Application filed October 29, 1906. Serial No. 341,014.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE PATOHETT i/VHITE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of WVallace, in the county of Sheshone and State of Idaho, have invented a new and Improved Wall Construction, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to concrete blocks, and its object is to provide a new and improved wall construction, arrangedv to form air spaces between the outer and inner courses, and allow a perfect circulation of air through the spaces both in a horizontal and vertical direction, with a view to prevent the penetration of moisture through the wall to the interior of the building.

A further object is to provide a vertical slot at the jamb for doors and windows, to permit the insertion of a weatherproof strip.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of the improvement; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the wall at a door, and showing the insertion of a weather strip; Fig. 3 is a similar view of the wall at a window and showing the inserr tion of a weather strip; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the main blocks; Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the corner blocks, and Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the improvement on the line 7--7 of Fig. 1.

The main blocks A for forming the wall are set one upon the other to form a front and a back arranged parallel one to the other and forming circulating air spaces between them. The blocks A for the front of the wall are joined at their ends by mortar joints B, and like joints B connect the ends of the blocks for the back of the wall. Each main block A is preferably rectangular in shape and concaved at its inner face, and from the latter extends transversely an integral arm A and a flat face A distanced from the respective ends in such a manner that in laying the blocks for both the front and back of the wall, the arm A of a block extends close to the flat face A of an op osite block, as will be readily understood by reference to Figs. 1 and 7. By the arrangement described the front and back of the wall form air spaces connected with each other by narrow slots formed at the arms A and the flat faces A to allow air to circulate in both a horizontal and vertical direction between the front and back of the wall.

In laying the several courses ofboth the front and back, the main blocks A break joint, so that the arms A of one course of the front rest on the arms A of the next lower course of the back of the wall and Vice versa, as will be readily understood by ref erence to Fig. 7, and by comparison with Figs. 1 and 2 and Figs. 1 and 3, which show successive courses.

By arranging the arm A of a block a d istance from the nearest end, it is evident that the blocks are capable of sustaining the greatest strain in the wall with ease and without danger of undue weakness, especially as concrete blocks develop the greatest weakness at the corners and ends. 7

The corner blocks C and l) of the wall are arranged as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 5 and (i, that is, the corner block (I is provided with an arm 0 and a ilat face 0, and also with an angular arm 0 to be joined with a main block for the outer wall. The other corner block D is provided with an integral arm 1) similar to the arms 0 and A, and the corner block is also provided with a flat face D and an angular arm D likewise joined by a main block A.

Short end blocks A and A are used at the ends of the back of the wall, as indicated in Fig. 1, the end block A having an arm A and the end block A having a flat face A, and of which the arm A is opposite the flat face D of the corner block D, and the llat face A is opposite the arm C of the corner block 0.

In laying the next courses upon the ones shown in Fig. 1, the corner blocks 0 and I) and the end blocks A and A arereversed, that is, a block D and an end block'A are used on the right hand corner, and a block 0 and an end block A are used on the left hand corner of the wall.

The opposite blocks E and F (see Fig. 2) at a door opening are provided at their ends with transverse arms F/ and F", spaced apart to form a vertical slot for the insertionof a weather strip G, to render the door opening air tight when the door frame H is fitted in the door opening. The opposite blocks l.

and J at a window opening (see Fig: 0) are rovided at their ends with transverse arms I and J, spaced apart to form a vertical slot for the insertion of a weather strip ll engaged by the window casing L, the latter also abutting against a projecting portion of the arm I, as indicated in Fig. 3.

By reference to Fig 1 it will be noticed that the joints B are at an air space separate from the one at the-jointslfl, and consequently if an outer joint B is not made perfect, any moisture that passes through this imperfect joint into the corresponding air space, moves downward, and hence is not liable to come in contact with the blocks of the bacln 7 in the construction of walls for houses from concrete blocks, the joints are frequently imperfect owing to the quality of the mortar employed and because sufficient care is not used in pointing the joints. The moisture is more apt to penetrate between the end or vertical joints than between the lateral joints, as owing to the compression of the mortar by the blocks in the lateral joints more perfect joints are formed and the moisture is not liable to penetrate. The moisture however readily penetrates the end joints especially where they are imperfect from any cause. W hen the laterally extending webs of the blocks in a wall are opposite to or immediately adjacent to the end joints, the moisture penetrating the end joints is communicated to the said webs and is thus brought to the inner face of the wall. This is avoided in the present invention, as by placing the end joints midway between the transverse arms of the opposite blocks any water that penetrates the joint in the outer wall will follow down the inner face of the outside blocks and will not be led over by the transverse arms to the inner wall and plaster. By placing the transverse arms one fourth the length of the block from one end a uniform wall is constructed with the end oints as far as possible from the transverse arms, being midway between the same.

Walls constructed in the manner described are exceedingly strong and durable, and completely dry owing to the intervening air spaces and the means employed for allowing air to circulate in both a horizontal and vertical direction.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A wall construction comprising inner and outer layers of blocks, each block having a rectangular main body portion provided on its inner face with a transverse arm lo cated approximately one-fourth the length of the block from one end thereof, the arms extending inwardly toward the body portions of the opposite blocks to form air spaces with joints at the center of said spaces, the joints in each tier of the inner and outer layer being at alternate spaces, the terminal. of an arm being spaced. from the inner face of the body portion of the opposite block, the bloclzs at a window or door opening havin opposite end arms spaced apart to form a slot for the insertion of a weath r strip.

2. A wall construction comprising inner and outer blocks, each block having its inner face concaved and provided near one end witha transverse arm located approximately one-fourth of the length of the block from said end, the block being provided with a flat face located approximately one-fourth the length of the block from the other end thereof, the tern inal of arm being opposite and spaced from the flat face of the opposite block, the blocks at a window or door opening having opposite end arms spaced apart to form a slot for the insertion of a weather strip, one of the said end arms being extended lengthwise to form a stop.

3. A building block provided with an arm face of the block between the ends,the inner faces of the block and end arm being con the flattened surface bein located aonroximately the same distance from the respective ends of the block.

l. A wall construction comprising inner and outer blocks, each having a transverse integral arm located approximately onefourth of the length of tne bloclr from one end thereof, the terminal of the arm being spaced from the inner face of the opposite block, the outer blocks being joined at their ends and set one upon the other, and the inner bloclrs being joined at their ends and likewise set one upon the other, successive courses of inner and outer blocks breaking joint, the joints at the ends of the block being approximately midway of the hollow spaces formed between the arms of the inner and outer blocks, and the joints of the outer and inner blocks of the same course being at alternate spaces. I

5. A wall construction comprising inner and outer blocks, each block having a main body portion and a transverse arm extending from the inner face of said body portion and located at a distance from one end 'of the block substantially equal to one-fourth the length of the block from end to end of the same, the arms of said blocks extendin inwardly toward the body portions of the opposite blocks to form air spaces with the joints between the ends of the blocks at the center of said air spaces, the said joints in each tier of the inner and outer layer of blocks being at alternate air spaces.

6. A wall construction comprising inner prising a body portion having a transverse at one end, and a second arm at t ieinner and outer layers of blocks, each bloclr coin arni extending from the inner face of the body and located substantially one-fourtl'r of the length of the block from one end thereol, the said arms extending inwardly toward the body portions of the opposite blocks to form Vertical air spaces between the arms of said inner and outer layers of blocks, the blocks of one layer being placed to break joint with those of the opposite layer whereby the 10 joints of said inner and outer layers are at alternate air spaces, the terminals of the said arms bemg spaced tronr the faces of the opposite blocks forming narrow slots connect inc the vertical air spaces to allow the air to circulate in both a horizontal and vertical direction between the front and back of the Wall.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE PATCHETL WHITE Witnesses EVELYN S. CALVERT, F. A. .ltnozlm. 

